Apparatus for cutting ceramics



March 1955 H. J. TUQRTO APPARATUS FOR CUTTING CERAMICS Filed July 23, 1953 INVENTOR. fizaerz (l Zzzorfo ATTORNEY United States Patent APPARATUS FOR CUTTING CERAMICS Herbert J. Tuorto, Westfield, N. J.

Application July 23, 1953, Serial No. 369,909

2 Claims. (Cl. 125-14) This invention relates to improvements in devices for cutting ceramics, and is intended to provide an automatic, novel and highly efficient means for water-cooling the cutting blades in such machines. Advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the description below. These and other advantageous objects, which will appear from the drawings and from the description hereinafter, are accomplished by the structure of my invention, of which an embodiment is illustrated in the drawings. It will be apparent, from a consideration of said drawings and the following description, that the invention may be embodied in other forms sug gested thereby, and such other forms as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered within the scope and purview of the instant invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an apparatus for cutting ceramics embodying the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, medial longitudinal, sectional view thereof, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing parts correspondingly numbered in Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawing, the apparatus of this invention comprises a frame having vertical posts 11, 12, adapted to pivotally receive, as at 13, a platform 14, at one end of which is mounted the motor and at the other end of which is rotatably mounted cutter blade 16 driven by the motor through a belt or other driving means (not shown). The frame 10 supports a drip tray 17 which may be secured to the posts 11, 12, below the pivot point 13 for the platform 14. Said pivot point may comprise pin members 13' receivable in slot 11', in the vertical posts 11, 12. The drip tray 17 may have a drain pipe 18 connected thereto at one end 19. The free end 20 of said drain pipe 18 may be connected to a permanent drainage outlet or may be permitted to empty itself at any convenient point.

The platform 14 may be vertically reciprocated by any suitable means, as, for example, the rod 25, which may be pivotally connected to one end of the platform and which may be vertically reciprocated by linkage or other means, in the direction of arrow 26 in Fig. 1, to impart a complementary vertical reciprocating movement to the cutter blade 16 as indicated by the arrow 27 in Fig. l, to thereby bring the cutter blade 16 into and out of contact with the ceramic object, such as a brick, to be cut.

Pursuant to the invention, during this cutting operation, the blade 16 is cooled and particles of ceramic material broken and loosened by the cutting operation are carried away. This end is attained as follows: Posts 11, 12 of the frame 10 are extended as by providing arm members 27, 28 which are preferably of Y-shaped outline, said arm members being provided with apertures for registry with corresponding apertures in the vertical posts, through which bolts 29 or the like may be passed to secure the arm members to the posts. The free upper ends of said arm members are preferably angularly bent relative to the planes of said arm members, as noted at 30, in Fig. 1. Said arm members are provided with slots 31, to facilitate securing thereto (as, for example, by means of bolts, not shown), a tank frame such as indicated at 32 in Fig. 1. If said tank frame is materially longer than the distance between the arm members proper 27, 28, said arm members may be secured to the vertical posts 11, 12, with the free ends of the arm members directed away from each other instead of toward each other, as shown in Fig. 1. The tank frame 32 may be secured to said arm member by bolts or the like passed through slots 31 of said arm members, and the tank frame may in turn be provided with slots which are directed at right angles to slots 31 of the arm members and intersect said slots so as to provide a further range of adjustability between the arm members and the tank frame 32. A water tank 35 is positioned in the frame and provided at the lower end thereof with a drain element generally designated by the reference character 36 in Fig. 2, which may comprise an internally threaded open boss 37 in the lower end of the tank for reception of a pipe section 38 which may have a cut off valve 39 therein. The lower end of the pipe section 38 is preferably formed as a ball-like shell member 40 to embrace and removably receive a ball member 41 for movable connection of said pipe section 38, with a point 42 tangent to the blade 16. A cover 43 may be provided for the upper portion of the blade 16; in the form of invention shown in Fig. 2, said cover has the tangential opening 42 for discharge of water from the tank 35 onto blade 16. In the form shown in the drawing, a tangential open boss 44 is provided on said cover 43 to receive a pipe section 45 extending from the boss 44 and telescopically received in an extension 46 of ball member 41. It will be understood that the ball member 41 and shell member 40 are provided with means such as complementary apertures therein or a tube depending from shell member 40 through an opening in ball member 41, for the continuous flow of water therethrough and thence out of the tangential discharge point 42 while maintaining the flow sealed against leakage. It will be appreciated that, by the structure above described, the connection intermediate the drain element 36 and blade 16 is constant notwithstanding the vertical reciprocation of the blade element 16 in the cutting operation, as indicated by the arrow 27. Valve 39 would, in operation, be turned on only during intervals during which it was desired to attain a flow of water onto the blade 16.

The wheel 16 is used, as above noted, for cutting objects such as bricks, etc. which shed gritty particles in the cutting operation. Such particles will be carried cleanly by the water flowing from source 35 to blade 16, down to tray 17 and thence drained off as at 18. The present invention assures a continuous supply of fresh water for automatically washing away the residue of the cutting operation, without requiring the use of moving parts which would be bound to become clogged in time. Thus the structure of this invention avoids bogging down of the operation of cutting due to clogging of moving parts such as would be bound to occur in use of devices having such moving parts, designed for a similar purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for cutting ceramics, comprising a frame, a platform pivotally mounted on said frame, a drip tray secured to said frame below the platform, a cutting blade rotatably mounted at one end of said platform, supporting means on said frame extending above the plane of the platform, a water tank mounted on said means, a drain element secured to said tank, a cover for the upper portion of said blade, an opening in said cover, and connector means between said opening and said drain element to constantly connect said opening to said tank notwithstanding pivotal movement of said platform relative to said tank, said means including a circular shell member secured to said tank, and a ball member slidably engageable therewith and having an opening communicating therewith.

2. An apparatus for cutting ceramics, comprising a frame, a platform pivotally mounted on said frame, a drip tray secured to said frame below the platform, a cutting blade rotatably mounted at one end of said platform, supporting means on said frame extending above the plane of the platform, a water tank mounted on said means, a drain element on said tank, a cover for the upper portion of said blade, an opening in said cover, and connector means between said opening and said drain element to constantly connect said opening to said tank notwithstanding pivotal movement of said platform relative to said tank, said connector means including pipe sections telescopically engaging each other and secured to said tank and cover members and means movably connecting the other pipe section to the other member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bour June 24, 1941 

